


the boy that looked like apollo

by bonjourmags



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Art, High School, M/M, This is fluff, they're aged up, with comic sides
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 06:52:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13025595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonjourmags/pseuds/bonjourmags
Summary: Will Byers, eighteen, loves his art class, and he gets inspiration from his everyday life. He falls for a boy, decides to represent him as Apollo; god of manly beauty for a homework. The problem: Will doesn't know that the boy is his teacher's son.





	the boy that looked like apollo

**Author's Note:**

> Lets make it clear: Ted Wheeler should be a gym teacher, I know :(  
> Also they're aged up!

Talking is overrated. Will was giving better words with his hands than his mouth, and his art teacher quickly realized that. 

 

It wasn't his fault if he was the favorite - the one who always got the first place in school's drawing contests, or the best parts in expositions. It wasn't his fault if the others were jealous of what he could do. The thing is: they all decided to take this class because it asked less work than learning Latin or Spanish. It was easier, as everyone said, so art was the "I don't want to make efforts" class. Not to Will, of course. It was his top one subject. 

 

Everyone could see how much Will was living in the art's room, and as soon as the art teacher told him that he could stay there after class if he wanted, he took the opportunity. It wasn't that his house was too sad and cold for him to go back home, but at school there were materials. The Byers were a bit short on money, that didn't matter that much because they could live, afford rent and school, but there was no money left to buy some pricey crayons for Will. He got some at Christmas, every year, or on his birthday, that was it.

 

Ted Wheeler, his art teacher, was a nice person. He surely wasn't an artistic person in the first place, and Will was almost sure that he was waiting for Mr. Heils to break his leg so he could take his place as the sports teacher, but he was nice. He was good at art, not incredible, but he had technics and his hands were good with pencils. He was a good person in general, discovered Will as they grew closer. Of course, not a weird closer, it was still his teacher and there was no question around their relation, but he was that special teacher. That adult that sees that you somehow can go far in your life, and that wants to help you out.

 

When they were alone in the art room, he insisted that Will should call him Ted, and not Mr. Wheeler. It was nice to feel that he was a person, in the end, and not just a head in a crowd. Of course, for Ted, it was easy to like Will. He was quiet, always cleaned the art room after the others students, and oh boy, he had a hand. A good one. 

 

It seemed like he could replicate real life in a few seconds - just by mixing a few colors, and in the blink of an eye he created something pure. This wasn't a talent, as everyone told him, "Oh wow! you're so talented," but it was practice. Years and years of practice. He got sick of the famous "You can do this while I can't even draw a stickman!" to what he usually answers it with "Well, you could draw like me with some practice and time. It's not that hard, it just takes dedication." And he sounded like a broken record that told it too many times.

 

Kids always draw - it's funny, you create things, dragons, mermaids, you draw you mom as a princess. And then, at some point, they try to draw real elements - and fail at it. It's not easy to replicate a flower with it's shadows, and it's perfect color. So the kids stop to draw. It's over, they go to something else, and loose all their skills in it. 

 

That was not the case of Will Byers. He never stopped. His mom bought him a book to teach him how to draw better, and even if he wasn't so good at reading, he couldn't let go of it. 

 

Now, at eighteen, he was waiting for his last year of public school to end. Of course, he was worried about leaving Ted Wheeler, since he was his mentor and, in a way, his adult-friend. But if he does well, he could get a scholarship and go into an Art's school. Ted was trying to make his connections work to get him all the help he could get.

 

"Teens, since you will finish your work for Friday, I can already tell you about the next project." Ted said to the entire classroom, "the theme is Greek gods." Whispering started, as he heard people saying who they wanted to have - Athena, Hera, Zeus, but mostly Aphrodite. Of course, as she's the goddess of beauty, it leaves a lot of opportunities. "Don't get so excited. I know most of you will choose Aphrodite or Dionysos, and I don't want to compare one's work with another that did the same god, so I made a list and you will pick from it. And by picking, I mean you pick a number and it's destiny who will choose for you." 

 

A redhead girl took the twelve, she got Hephaetus, god of crafting and metals, her best friend had the number two and was granted of Hermes, the boy next to her the number nine and he got Zeus, it went on and on, until it was Will's turn. "Seven," he said, and Ted Wheeler looked at his paper before telling him his god: "You have Apollo. Okay, number, Kathlyn?" He turned around and Will was happy with his choice. 

 

***

 

"Mom, it's time to wake up." Will said, as he tried to hurry up to go to school. He looked down at her, and she seemed very tired, so he sat on her bed. "How late was your shift?" He asked, kindly. His mom had two jobs to make the house work - it wasn't easy as a single mother to run a house of three, and since Jonathan had no scholarship, his photography school was fairly expensive. She worked in a small market in the center of the town, and also as a night secretary in Hawkins' hospital. "Three A.M." She said in a small voice. 

 

Will knew that voice - sometimes, she was so tired she couldn't wake up to go to work. So, during these days, he decided that she had to take some rest from her jobs and he worked in the market for her. The owner didn't care, as long as someone was here to take the money and re-arrange the foods in the shop, plus she knew Will since he was four, and she liked him very much. "I'm going to take your shift, mom. I just want you to bring this painting to school to Ted because I have to give it in today." He said, and she hummed quietly. He wrote what he just said on a paper and let his stuff on the table. 

 

It was fine for him to work. Most people would find it sad, but he wasn't one of them. It was experience for his future life, and he was helping his mother when she was too exhausted. Of course, it was annoying for his day of school - but it didn't happened that much, maybe once or twice a month, and since he was a good student he always worked what he needed to get his notes in order. The teachers knew his tough situation and were kind to him, so when he wasn't there they knew he wasn't skipping, but helping his mother.

 

He doodled whenever he had time during his shift. In the middle of the day, there was no one (never, ever), so he had the quiet shop only for him and his eyes. 

 

Until they entered. 

 

They got Will's eyes as soon as they were inside, since they seemed to be his age (maybe the girl was even younger?) and it was time to be in school. It was a very tall boy and a tall girl with curled hair. Well, they both had curly hair - but the girl's was may more intense that the boy. The talked loudly, like all teenagers, as the looked at the chocolate part of the shop. "This is like, the best thing ever. Have you tasted it?" Said the boy, "No, I haven't. Buy it for me?" He turned around, "Oh my god, Jane, you don't have money with you? I'm not your sugar daddy or whatsoever! I can't keep giving you free stuff." He said in a laugh, not really meaning it. She smiled widely, and Will thought that she looked like a goddess. He was disappointed that he didn't picked Hera - because he would have replicated her for his painting. 

 

The two of them walked up to the counter. "Good morning," said Will in a robotic way as his eyes fell on the boy. 

 

He took back everything he said about the girl being a goddess. Of course, she looked wonderful, with he short hair and soft curls, her clothes were adorable on her, and her eyes held the entire world in themselves - but in comparaison to the boy, it was unbelievable. 

 

You can't compare a planet to the entire universe - there are way too many things to explore in the universe. 

 

That boy was way more than the whole universe. His eyes seemed infinite, as Will emerged himself in them. He seemed tall when he entered the shop, but in frond of Will he was a good head and a half above him. His skin was paper white, as snow white - but he wasn't snow white, he was the prince and Will needed to wake up from his day dreams. "Good afternoon." Answered the two teenagers and Will shook his head. On the counter, there were two different chocolate bars, and two beers. 

 

He stared at the beers, then looked up at them, then the beers. "How old are you?" He asked. They sure weren't twenty-one. The girl shrugged, and whispered to the tall boy, "Told you he wouldn't let us, that was a stupid idea - just put them back where you found them." He didn't listen to her, and bit his bottom lip. 

 

The girl might have been a goddess - he was surely a god. 

 

He was the god of masculine beauty. He was Apollo. 

 

"We're eighteen, but like, beer is okay in other countries, I heard that in Belgium the age is sixteen. Be cool, pretty please? You know how it is, you look the same age as us. We just want to have a bit of fun." He said in a whisper, getting close to Will. When he finished he bit his bottom lip once more, and Will was about to explode. He was really cute, and confident and handsome at the same time, that was too much to resist. Will never learned how to say no, it was way easier and nicer to say yes. 

 

"You two shouldn't be at school?" He said, not telling them to leave yet. He legally couldn't give them beer. But if the boy continued to look and speak so nicely, he wouldn't be able to hold too long. "We're both homeschooled." She said. 

 

"Come on, we'll put these in her purse and we'll leave super quick, and won't open those beers before being deep in the woods. No one will ever know." He added. The more he talked, the closer to Will he got - his hand was now on the counter and Will stared at it, and wondered how amazing it would be to have this precious boy as a model to draw. He was close enough for Will to smell the weird deodorant he was wearing, and even if it wasn't such a great smell, he liked it. Honestly, he could be wearing garbage's sent and it would have the same effect on the smaller boy. 

 

And then he had the best idea ever - of course, he had no idea of how much it was the key element to make Will fall, but he looked directly in his eyes. His face was so pure that he couldn't handle the way he left his lips open, letting a bit of his teeth to sight, but his eyes were way too much. "Okay." He said before realizing. "Okay, but you two get the fuck out really quick and you never tell anyone. I swear to god," he paused as he looked at the boy, "I swear to god if I'm in troubles because of you punks..." The two teenagers smiled, high-fived each other, gave him money and before leaving, the girl - Jane? gave a kiss on her hand before sending it to Will. The curled hair boy laughed, then did the same. "Thanks, our prince and savior in armor!" 

 

After all, Will didn't mind working his mother shifts - It was experience for his future life, he was helping his mother when she was too exhausted, and he could meet cute boys. 

 

***

He didn't even question it, it was sure that this boy was Apollo. He could bet on it. He did his research (he always did that, because he liked to be really into his artworks) and he learned that Apollo was the god of music, arts, poetry and manly beauty. He is supposed to be young, athletic, handsome, beardless. The boy was all of these things. Another thing that caught his eye was that he was often accompanied by the Muses of poetry. That was the girl, Jane. 

 

He started drawing doodles - after two weeks he had made different compositions, none of them were good enough to him, but he tried more and more. He decided to end on a version where the boy was giant, in the middle, and a few muses (he wasn't making the girl as the muses since he depicted them naked, and he wasn't confortable to draw a girl he "knew" naked, so he opted for a girl of his invention) around him. "Is this good enough, mom?" He asked, not sure of his creation. He thought that everything he could do would never be as good as the actual boy. 

 

"Oh, it's perfect sweetie. That's Zeus?" She wondered. "It's Apollo!" He answered, "you think it's fine? I can paint it you think?" And she made him a sign with her head, then touched his hair in a loving way, before kissing him on his cheek. "Wonderful, you should definitely paint it." 

 

If she said so, he would do it. He could do it. 

 

Before he left, she said: "It's funny, a boy that looks just like the one on your painting asked me if the "young boy that worked here the other day" was here, I guess he was talking about you." Will froze. "He asked for me?" She smiled. "Yes, he said that he wanted to say thank you once more. And he said something else but I'm not so sure - something about next time you should go with them, I don't remember exactly. Sorry." She had no reason to be sorry. And Will had all the reasons to be happy.

 

***

 

After class, when he wasn't working in the art room, he would show up at his mother's work. "Hi mom," he said as soon as the door was opened. "Hi honey!" She answered, and then he saw that someone was buying something and that they weren't alone. He blushed a little. "Hi." Said the customer, that Will recognized quickly, it was Apollo. "It's been a while. I came back here to see you but apparently you only work at really weird times." He said, walking up to him as he finished his business. Will felt like there was a bubblegum down his throat, but smiled. "It's- eh. It's going to sound weird, but... It's really not so easy to make friends when you're homeschooled. I was thinking that maybe you wanted to spend an evening with Jane and me? We'll do the woods thing," he winked, and Will was happy that his mother couldn't see it, because she could have understood if she had.

 

"H-h-y-Yeah sure." He said, and the boy talked more: "My entire family is away on Friday, how about you show up? If you want you can stay the night, and if you don't want to there's no problem, we're still strangers, after all." Will said yes, then the boy took a piece of paper and wrote an address on it. When he left, Will's mom looked at him, waiting for explanations. 

 

The thing is, Will was as surprised as she was.

 

*** 

On Friday , there were two events for Will: he had to show his project, and he was going to that guy's house - of whom, he still knew nothing of, not even his name. 

 

He was way more excited about the art thing. Of course, if this was a romantic movie or a romantic book, he would be way more into going to that weird boy's house, but this is real life, and he wanted to show his art to other people. It has been more than a month since he started working on it, and now the deadline was here. He sticked with his idea, and had it painted in grey-ish colors, giving a sad note to the boy's face. He was in a white shirt, and was holding it - you couldn't say if he was taking his shirt off, or trying to keep it on him. It wasn't erotic, but it wasn't pure either. Will thought it would be great, since the gods were usually depicted as completely naked. The painting was good, he knew it, and it was good enough for his future portfolio. 

 

Everyone showed their art piece, giving details on their work, but in the end, what Ted Wheeler really wanted to see was Will's work, and so did the others. It would be better, of course - but not because of his said talent, but because he gave five more hours on it than did all the others. 

 

 

He showed it, and Ted's face fell. 

 

"You've got to be kidding me." He said, and Will had no idea why Mr. Wheeler seemed annoyed. "What? Why?" He asked. 

 

"Well - the person you represented," he started, and Will cut him in his sentence "Apollo?" He asked. Ted started his sentence again. "The person you represented. Is this a joke? I'm not really - hm, confortable with seing this. I get it, you wanted to make me happy with - well, him, but. This is not fine. My personal life shouldn't mess with my class." 

 

Will had no idea of what he was talking. "I don't understand. This is a boy I met while I was working." He said for his defense, still not sure of what he was accused. 

 

And then - just as it would have happened in a theater showing a piece of Comedia del' Arte, someone opened the door. "Dad- I'm so sorry to annoy you at your work place but I lost my keys in the sewers, I know, it's stupid, I have to tell you the complete story, but since you, Nancy and Mom are leaving in two hours, I don't want to live on the streets for the whole weekend. Again, I'm sorry. Can I have your keys?" Said a voice, and Will knew this voice. 

 

"Hey! That's me!" 

 

Of course - it was the Apollo boy. Will gasped. Now he understood - Mr Wheeler wasn't fine with the painting as it was a representation of his own son not fully clothed. This is embarrassing. He hid his face in his hands. "Oh, hi man." Said the curled-hair boy to Will, and no one in the room was making sounds except him. It looked like the world stopped for him. 

 

Then the world started again. Ted Wheeler moved to take his keys, and he gave them to his son. "Here you go. Don't lose them, it costs money." Then he paused, looked at Will. "You know Will Byers? Why are you on his painting, Mike?" 

 

Mike. That was Apollo's name.

 

"I do know him. We met in the shop in the center. And I don't know. It's his choice. I didn't model for him or anything. But it looks cool I think! I should be leaving. I'm interrupting your lesson and it's unprofessional. Bye dad! See you later, Byers!" Ted Wheeler's brows furrowed. Will was ready to be roasted and he knew that his friendly bond with his teacher was over.

 

"At least, you didn't represented him like Kathlyn did with Aphrodite - I would have hated to see a painting of my own son entirely naked." Ted laughed, and Will hoped that this meant that he would still give him a A.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Please don't forget to comment & kudos (it makes me very happy and gives me motivation to write!)
> 
> If you want to send prompts or just talk, my tumblr changed: @sleepymikewheeler


End file.
